


down from the departed realm

by quinnyquailegg



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: "oh my god. cant you just talk 2 him", Redemption, Water balloons, dareth comes with hair gel, emo as HELL, hair stylist dareth, he hates that morro can phase through things, jay tries his best, kai despises morro, lloyd fucking hates morro, lloyd gets very paranoid, morro grows his hair out, morro is still salty as hell, ronin is dumb, sad boy hours, wu is awesome, yes they swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-08-08 12:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16429358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnyquailegg/pseuds/quinnyquailegg
Summary: morro never thought redemption would be this hard, or even talking to the ninja, for that matter.





	1. lantern

**Author's Note:**

> morro is stubborn and still salty as hell.

"Look," an excited voice pierced the calm quiet of the Departed Realm. "A lantern!" Ghoultar turned around, scythe pointing at an intricately made lantern that was bobbing in the air.  
Morro turned his attention to it - surely it had to be for... who was it again? The old, white-haired man who had gave him a tight-lipped smile a few months ago?  
Sure enough, it traveled through the swell of people, who had stopped their conversations to glance upward. It's warm aura and light followed all the way to Dr. Julien.  
Of course, it'd be silly to think _he_ would get one this year. He watched people's surprise as they too clutched a beautiful lantern protectively between their arms. A twinge of self-pity washed over him, which he tried to shake away.  
Soul Archer looked on dismally as well. Ever since the entire incident with city Stiix, he'd been distant and quiet. Morro thought it'd be especially hard to be him - the poor guy had been wallowing in the Cursed Realm for so long, he'd forgotten his own name.  
"Cheer up, Archer. None of us have ever gotten one."  
Bansha sat down opposite side of Morro. She was a good friend, but maybe just a tad too negative in front of others.  
"Ghoultar sad. No lantern any year." the ghost shook his torn clothes, obviously reminded of all the years he'd spent alone with the Preeminent.  
Surprise filled the air when a lantern floated right in front of him, rocking side to side. He couldn't believe his eyes.  
It was obviously a mistake.  
After all, who would send him a lantern? He'd done nothing but wreak havoc upon the ninja and a number of innocent citizens. He'd hurt them. He _posessed the green ninja._ That was unforgivable.  
"Did you get a lantern?" Bansha looked at him with wide eyes, speeding over. Morro touched it, then turned it over to the other side. Etched artfully on in long, artistic strokes was his own name. This was no accident.  
"Ghoultar happy! Friend got lantern. But Ghoultar still not get lantern."  
"So our friend did get a lantern!"  
Soul Archer turned around and offered a sad thumbs-up to him. Immediately, Morro felt guilty and unsure of how to respond. He gave a small smile back, but the distant ghost already had his back towards him. "You should go back and talk to... who was it? Your sensei. Bansha suggested, giving a small shrug.  
"I already talked to him." Morro reasoned, shaking his head.  
She rolled her eyes. "Barely,"  
Ghoultar nodded too. Soul Archer didn't offer any input, like always. He frowned and then sat down again, this time facing the other way. Morro felt a slight thud echo in his body, and he tumbled down, down, down into the darkness of the sky. Fuck!  
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.  
Damn Bansha and Ghoultar - they'd pushed him into the living realm, hadn't they? The lack of pain when he hit the ground was unsettling.  
The bright city light were almost blinding. He maneuvered through dark alleyways and streets, jumping at every noise until he finally reached the looming figure of the Ninjago City Museum.  
A haunting feeling rested in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't properly came here since... what, posessing an innocent kid? Morro kept his eyes to the ground until he arrived upon his own statue.  
He sighed.  
It depicted him holding the sword of sanctuary, a wicked evil grin on his face. He hated it, but it did give him a little satisfaction that there were people who thought he was scary. Morro stepped into the statue's feet, anchoring his departed spirit to it and then knocking the plastic model sword aside. He cringed at the loud, metallic clang that sounded.  
A guard came rushing in, eyes narrowed and temples beaded with sweat. Morro panicked and looked around, trying desperately to escape the Hall of Villainy. The guard produced a guttural scream, her flashlight dropping to the ground with a clang. He widened his eyes in sheer panic and leaned against the wall, falling through it.  
Morro phased through the walls and sprinted into a warehouse, then hid among the numerous crates that littered the building.  
While he was stuck in the living realm, he might as well make good use of it. 

 

A beep sounded on _Destiny's Bounty,_ waking Nya from her sleep. She fumbled around for a bit, walking slowly in the darkness until she reached the control room. The screen almost made her fall backwards. 

**New Threat: Ghost Sighted in Ninjago City Museum**  
She ran to wake everyone up.


	2. four am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the ninja panic and so does morro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK U SO MUCH to the people who left a nice shiny kudos on chapter 1. i honestly wasnt expecting anyone to see it so early but THANK U AGAIN!!! i hope u all will enjoy this 2nd chapter  
> 

Nya's eyes widened with shock, struggling to regain her composure and move her feet towards the door. A ghost? Hadn't all of them been sealed back into the Departed Realm after she'd drowned the Preeminent? Her hands tightened into fists, teeth gritting against one another as she bolted into the hallway, peering into the room where all the other ninja slept. "Guys! _Guys!"_ Nya yelled, turning on the light.  
Zane was out of bed in a flash, switching off sleep mode and blinking a few times to clear his pupils from the dust clouding his face.  
"What is time is it...?"  
Jay pulled his blankets over his head, so only his curly caramel hair spilled out at the edge. "Four-thirty AM. Wake up! It's urgent." she answered, scanning around the room for anyone else who was still asleep. "What the fuck, Nya?!" Kai screamed, temporarily blinded by the bright fluorescent light that shone down on his face. He turned face-down, which Nya responded to by using her hydrokinesis to shoot a stream of frigid cold water at his face. He screamed again and fell out of bed.  
Cole, being a heavy sleeper, was still sound asleep and snoring. Nya huffed irritably and pulled off his covers. He opened his bleary eyes and sat up, perplexed at why Nya could possibly be waking them up at this hour. Lloyd had woken by himself due to the sheer noise of the racket that the ninja had managed to make. Sensei Wu's staff clanked against the wooden ground as he made his way over as well, presumably to check on the noise.  
"Sensei! You better come with me to the control room... you too, boys." she suppressed a chuckle when Jay groaned loudly, making his reluctance to get up known.  
Kai was the first to go, and he looked absolutely ridiculous. His hair looked like it'd been pulled through a tornado, hurricane, and thunderstorm then was blow-dried from the bottom. Not to mention his lumbering walk, too. Zane looked wide awake as always, silvery face wiped clean of dust (Nya was baffled at how he managed it so fast). Lloyd, Jay, and Cole were beside each other, arms wrapped around the other one's neck to support themselves. Jay obviously seemed the most tired, footsteps clumsy and unsure.  
When they arrived at the control room, Sensei Wu stroked his silky beard and bit his lip, presumably in worry. Zane could sense how tense he was, although he too was confused about why some guard had seen a ghost in the depths of the museum. "I am afraid an older evil has returned to Ninjago." the elderly sensei said in a solemn tone, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen. He lowered his head, gaze aimed directly at Nya. "You will be our greatest asset to finding whomever has been sighted in the museum... for now, gear up and head into the city." Wu said firmly, turning and walking out the door. "Oh, and tell Jay that Cole ate his model mech cake.

Jay slugged Cole in the shoulder. 

The ghost scoured through the dark, mildewy-smelling depths of the warehouse. After scrounging for a few minutes, he finally found the door. It was heavy and covered in a layer of fine dust, reeking of the strong mold smell from before. Morro jigged the handle, worry growing quickly when the lock didn't click. He couldn't phase through, since most of his strength had been sapped escaping the museum... and waiting around wouldn't do him any good either, because the guard had seen him and probably called the police.  
So when someone with a crimson-colored straw hat and a worn leather eyepatch made his way into the warehouse, Morro nearly doubled screamed in surprise. The guy had a limp, dragging his foot over to one of the distant shelves to put a fragile-looking vase on it. While his back was turned, the young boy fled out the door, nearly blinded from the streetlight that hung over his head. Once the stranger's footsteps began to get louder, he ducked around the corner, lounging there for a while and examining the spray painted messages. He nearly bumped into him.  
It wasn't very crowded, especially at such an early hour, so the empty streets added something more... eerie to the search. Only the occasional hoot of an owl or the soft skitter of a squirrel could be heard once they busied themselves with combing the roads and buildings for the ghost. The ninja of fire headed towards the more rundown part of the city, with mainly one-story houses and some questionable businesses. Kai paid them no mind for most of his hike, but one large, rectangular building caught his eye.  
The sign (if you could even call it a sign) was painted on the top, slightly off-center in big blocky letters; it read 'RONINS STUFF', which in all honesty was a horrible name. The klepto obviously had no sense in how to hide his identity. What would happen when one of his scammed customers stumbled across the storage area?  
Not to mention, the red paint was already fading and graffiti was scrawled all over the sides. Kai walked over to one of the outer walls, gazing upon the monstrosity of bubble letters, names, and cuss words that had been scrawled on this way and that.  
The distinct sound of empty breathing shook him from his thoughts. The ninja turned his head to see some kid with black hair in a grown-out bowl cut, with a green stripe... running through it... and a torn cape... flowing after them... Oh, first spinjitzu master.  
Anger coursed through his veins, flames threatening to shoot out of his palms and roast the fucking hell out of the ghost. Kai felt like exploding, he felt like pushing Morro into the ocean and at that moment that was exactly what he wanted to do. The thing that surprised him though, that made the sparks at his fingertips flicker was the look of sheer terror upon the ghost's face when he turned around.  
Morro lept inside Kai's body. He was fucking scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo thanks for reading and sticking till chapter 2  
> some ACTUAL notes:  
> -my writing style is very mediocre. its too choppy n quick id love for some feedback on making it better  
> -^ this is bc i learned how to write well through roleplaying  
> -morro is really fucking scared of the ninja. he knows that without archer, bansha, and ghoultar's help theyd easily overpower him bc nya has hydrokinesis.  
> -someone give luh loyd some candy.


	3. pyro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> morro tries his best, but both of them know that wind only makes fires bigger.

"He's going to die." Bansha sighed, face sinking into her hands while he watched the internal struggle between Morro and Kai unfold.  
Soul Archer suppressed a snort. Ghoultar nodded, watching the red ninja flail about.  
"He's definitely going to die." 

Kai shook his head, the ghost trying to grab his consciousness bouncing around furiously inside his mind. _Get... out!_ he mentally screamed, swinging his head to the left, where it almost made contact with the wall. He could almost _feel_ his strength being sapped, taken, stolen from him, his limbs beginning to grow limp and numb and -  
"Kai?!" a rough, ragged voice broke Morro from his concentration. The spiky-haired ninja reared back, feeling Morro's hands begin to slip and his form begin to materialize back into the living world. 

Half an arm appeared in the Departed Realm, strained and unwillingly. Ghoultar took it and pushed it back, making the swirling green warmth start to churn and spit violently. "Coming back! Help Ghoultar!" he pleaded, flesh-eaten face flash into concern. 

Morro felt someone's bony hands shove him back in, making Kai's chest heave and flip involuntarily. The ghost screamed as fire snaked up his wrist, charring part of Kai's hand in attempt to fling the young boy out of his body.  
The clang of a vase. The shatter of ceramics breaking. The ever so familiar patter of footsteps, with one step being off-beat with the other. A limping walk. A slightly torn eyepatch. A crimson straw hat.  
His back burned, spine screaming for help as liquid sloshed on top of the ninja's head. His first thought was to phase through the ground, but like the dummy he was, he just ended up face-planting Kai onto the hard cemented sidewalk. Morro could hear water splashing on the floor, reminding him of what he assumed would be his inevitable death (again, curse the Preeminent!). It seemed to rain clear droplets around him, the painful feeling of water scorching and searing his ghostly pale skin.  
His vision finally focused, and there stood - there stood Ronin. Preeminent fucking dammit.  
"Soul Archer, if you're here to collect your debt, I swear I-" the middle-aged man began to say, before noticing that the ghost who stood pathetically in front of him was actually the teenager who'd set loose the Preeminent. The teenager who caused all of Stiix to sink into the goddamn ocean - and his pawn shop was there, along with all his valuables, mind you! 

Bansha seemed satisfied that Morro had fully reappeared in the living world without dying within .2 seconds - though she was positive Ronin was ready to cut him in half with an aeroblade. Soul Archer seemed to take pleasure in the fact that thief was still worried about his soul going to the Cursed Realm - he was really a dumbass, wasn't he? 

"What have you got to say for yourself, fuck-face?" Kai said accusingly, fire sparking from his fingertips. His eyes glowed with pure rage, muscles tensed and ready to send Morro to the nineteenth hell. Ronin wielded an aeroblade, the sharp points glinting as the sun came dimly over the horizon. Morro winced, imagining getting sliced in the stomach with that again; the sound of strong deepstone against his flesh, a sickly sounding _shiinck,_ and disappearing back into the hellish desolate landscape of the Preeminent.  
"I- I..." Morro stuttered, slowly side-stepping nervously. What was he supposed to do now?! Die?!?! Preeminnent, if only Bansha and Ghoultar were here to fend for him. He could almost see his friends up in the sky, groaning at how bad his expedition on Earth was going. 

"He's doing horrible." Soul Archer chuckled, peering down onto the street. He'd never had this much fun before. Bansha smacked his cheek with the back of her hand. "Be _nice,_ Archie." she snorted. 

Kai double-tapped his watch, brows furrowed. He bit his lip and linked up a voice call between all the ninja. "Guys," he hissed through clenched teeth. "I found the ghost. It's... it's Morro."  
A collective round of gasps sounded. He squared out his jaw and drew in a deep breath. "...and... he tried to possess me."  
Morro blew a raspberry into the watch's speaker, gritting his teeth as Ronin pressed the Aeroblade against his neck and pulled him into a tight headlock, restraining him. 

Lloyd sniffled on the other end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was really fun 2 write i love ronin and archie sm . classic sarcasm bonding time 
> 
> sum ACTUAL notes;  
> -bansha and the group watching from the departed realm cracks me up .  
> -i wrote this at 4 am last night onto a homework doc  
> -ronin has a collection of 15 aeroblades just for these occasions  
> -lloyd is fucking terrified of morro. hes terrified of ghosts in general. you mention a ghost? first, get shot in the head seven times in succession by kai and jay then watch my precious green child sob.  
> -morro is DONE as hell. hes got almost nothing to lose and so what if he dies? just ""fall"" off the departed realm again in that same particular rip in the realms and hes back .  
> -cole is honestly very very curious of what morros been doing


	4. capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> unfortunately, the ninja are prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you ever just sadly nae nae when your sister gives you the computer 2 hours overdue and you write the next chapter in 1 hour lmao  
> anyways sad sibling hours over lets gOOO O o oO with it  
> 147 ppl have read this!!!! 15 kudos!!!!! om y god!!!!!!! ily all sm youre so supportive insert happy cowboy emoji here

_**"What do you mean, Morro's back?!?!"**_  
Jay's shrill, high-pitched voice broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled. "Fu-" the ghost began, words cut off when Kai sent a burning glare at him. Morro squeaked, eyes darting around for any kind of route he could take to try and escape.  
Ronin loosened his grip a little, still keeping an arm around Morro's neck. Sigh. This was horrible, really, why did he even try to do something worthwhile in Ninjago? Better to just jump into a lake and accept the fact that the ninja were never, not ever, going to forgive him. Who would?  
Anger and guilt burned at his ears while he struggled to break free, the voices of Kai and the other ninja becoming quiet and hushed. A wave of shame washed over him when it became clear that the red ninja was trying to calm someone down - probably Lloyd, who seemed to have been crying earlier. It was understandable, really, that the young blonde would be like this if he ever heard that Morro was back in Ninjago. It made him feel bad that he felt a sliver of satisfaction that Lloyd was still afraid.  
Dr. Julien took slow steps over to the trio of ghosts that seemed to be peering down to the skyscrapers, curiosity peaking when it appeared their fourth friend was missing.  
Kai narrowed his eyes and stormed over to the ghost, holding out his watch to reveal the tiny screen of split face-timing. Hm. It'd been a while since Morro had tried technology, considering he'd died in a time where one would still regularly send mail through a manually pedaled cart.  
You're the worst person I've ever met! I hate, hate, hate you. Go back to the Cursed Realm." came the lilting voice of Jay. It was obvious that he was tired, and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard a half-snore half-groan.  
Morro started to pick at his fingernails, gaze aimed at the ground so no one would see the tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. They burned his skin and he furiously blinked them away, clearly it was the fact that he could barely feel his his legs from standing for so long and not that Jay's words were, at least, a little true.  
"So, where's your friend - Marrow, was his name?" he asked, giving a tight lipped smile at the archer guy.  
"Actually, his name's Morro." Soul Archer supplied, directing his attention to the white-clothed inventor.  
Ronin made eye contact with Kai. "What should I do with the asshole?" he inquired, which earned an annoyed huff from the teenager.  
"Here, lemme just-" the ninja outstretched an annoyed tmr to grab onto Morro's, ready to drag him back to the Bounty.  
Unfortunately for him, Ronin let go too soon. Fortunately for the ghost, he was free. Finally fucking free. He almost tripped over his own feet, sprinting around the corner and past the door, dashing into the back outdoor diner of some restaurant.  
And curse the Preeminent, a wavy-haired blonde was searching around the tables.  
"He fell." Bansha shrugged, still staring down into the city. Dr. Julien widened his eyes in surprise and alarm - surely the boy couldn't have, for the walls of the Departed Realm were impossible to pass through, even for a ghost. He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, shooting a confused glance at Ghoultar.  
"Ghoultar don't know either." Oh well. He sat down and drew his knees up to his head, seemingly waiting for nothing.  
A bottle of water was whipped out in a second and flung towards him, smacking his cheek. The liquid scalded his pale skin like he was being toasted alive with lava again, reminding him just exactly why he despised the living world.  
"G-go away." Lloyd croaked out fearfully, eyes wide in fright. He was alone. The other ninja weren't here, Nya wasn't here! And yet Morro had to stumble across him. His heart pounded against his chest, breathing heavy and ragged.  
The ghost felt like dying all over again when Lloyd uttered his next words.  
"Please, please please get away from me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry if the formatting sucks i finished writing this on my phone  
> some ACTUAL notes  
> -morro tries his best to ignore insults, but hes only 15 give him a break  
> -ronin is clumsy, dumb, and probably a little bit deaf from street fights  
> -lloyd is an emotional mess over morro . hes so fucking terrified of him and always keeps water just in case  
> -i headcanons kai as 26, cole as 28, jay as 22, zanes meant to be 25 but his body is probably 50 years old, lloyd is 19, and morro is 15 .


	5. fountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the trickling sound of water fills his ears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> school is kicking me in the ass . hope yall enjoy this!!!!!!!
> 
> tw for language and sad hours   
> happy dick december

Kai watches Morro's cape flutter away into the darkness, his eyes narrowing angrily. He stopped and waited until the rest of the team arrived. He glanced at them and did a double-take.   
The questioning, curious face of Jay appears at his side. "What's wrong?"   
"What's wrong? _What's wrong?!"_ he exclaims in response, searching desperately for the familiar forest green cloth and the curled blonde hair that he and the other ninja woke up to every morning. 

"Look, I don't really-" he began, keeping his back pressed against the metal fence that trapped him and his supposed enemy in a battlefield of table umbrellas and overflowing trash cans.   
Morro moved slowly and warily, his movements seeming almost a little strained. With his footsteps heavy, and his arms spread out to shield any sort of attack Lloyd might launch at him, he inched towards the fence latch. "I don't really wanna fight." he admitted.   
That was a dumb thing to say. Of course Lloyd wouldn't want to fight, he was cowering and his breaths were ragged and short. 

"Where the fuck is Lloyd? Oh my god, I can't believe you guys - that you guys let him go by himself!" Kai shrieks, holding his hands to his head in panic. Cole turns to him, concern in his eyes.   
_"You_ were the one who told us to split up!" the earth ninja fires back, clearly worried and irritated.   
"I just fucking can't deal," He glared at Cole, straining his ears to listen for any clues on where the young teenager was. "I was supposed to protect him, that's what Garmadon told me to do!"   
Kai wanted to run after Morro, wanted to scream and drown him in the biggest lake he could find.   
And so he did, well, at least he started to try. 

Lloyd began to climb over the fence, feeling the ghost's gaze burn holes into his back. It was so aggravating, so maddening that Morro had the _audicity_ to show his face back in Ninjago, and even more upsetting that he dared to cross paths with the ninja. It was like a stab to his gut, a slash on his neck. How did he even escape the Departed Realm anyways? It wasn't supposed to be possible for someone to come back, especially someone as horrible as Morro.   
"Wait, I wanna talk!" he called, weaving between the tables. His knee crashed painfully into the side of the fence, pain blossoming through his leg. _"Fuck!"_ Morro yelled, immediately regretting it.   
Almost as if on cue, a stream of water shot at his back. It was like being set on fire again, lava washing over his skin like all his years ago. Burning up, like standing too close to the sun, or accidentally putting your hand on a too-hot sidewalk.   
The worst part? He probably deserved it.   
A flood seemed to envelop him in a swirling sea of water. Memories of the Preeminent's screech poisoned his mind as he began to lose feeling in his limbs. 

And all of a sudden, he was coughing and hacking. A broken fountain and six accusing faces stared at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bonus; i originally wrote ' he held his heads to his hand ' . fuck 
> 
> im sorry if this chapter is filler/a little dry/bad/short ive been stuck with writers block for a while

**Author's Note:**

> updates will be weird but i hoped yall enjoyed this  
> some ACTUAL notes  
> -after the whole deal with the preeminent, morro became good friends with soul archer, bansha, and ghoultar. soul archer tries his best but hes not very good at socializing.  
> -morro mumbles the abcs' to himself so he wont forget.  
> -(my thoughts. not sure if its correct) the departed realm is a big void of colors and dead people are free to roam around and talk to each other. a lot of people become endlessly patient while in the departed realm.  
> -i wrote this entire thing on my phone. sigh finger hurt 
> 
> stay rad everyone


End file.
